Fires Intertwined
by SickPuppies
Summary: Rin Okumura is about to face one of his biggest challenges in his life; Mating Season. All demons go through it and he's no exception. So who now is going to help him with this little problem? Enter Leo Valdez, a demigod that can't get a girlfriend even if his life depends on it. So what will happen if one meddling goddess and one otaku demon try to play matchmaker for the two?
1. Chapter 1: Mate, where are thou?

Chapter 1: Mate, where are thou?

Mephisto looked at his paper in slight annoyance. Why did Rin have to be so difficult? Mephisto observed the dark haired boy before him: Rin glared him down with intense eyes, one corner of his lip pulled up in a grimace to show a pointed fang.

"I'm not going to look for a fucking mate," the teen protested sullenly.

"Okumura-kun, you have no choice in this manner," the purple-haired headmaster sighed as he placed the paperwork down. He carefully laced his fingers together and rested his chin on them before he continued. "All demons have a mating season that they must go through. When they're about to go into the season, they send out a scent for all the other demons to know that they're ready and mate-less. You've been giving out this scent for a while now, and that's why so many high level demons are attacking you."

Rin shifted slightly at this. Six times this week he's been attack by demons when he'd left the safety of the school grounds. What's more, twice in the last week he was almost raped by them.

"I don't want a mate," Rin snarled.

"Okumura-kun, you need to have sex once with a demon of a high class status," Mephisto said with another sigh. "The only other option is to sleep with someone that has enough power to protect you from other demons. Only then will you not be targeted."

"I'm not having a one night stand." Rin said adamantly.

Mephisto shook his head and then handed him a pure black binder. "This is a collection of every mate-less male and female demons, including half-demons, within in the Order. Choose your top five and we'll talk about if they're right for you."

Two hours later, Rin sunk down on the couch with a heavy sigh. He and Mephisto had researched all the available demons, but not a one fitted. There was one important detail that kept them finding the perfect mate: the flames. All the demons that they searched through were flammable and Rin didn't want to hurt his mate during sex, whoever the mate might be.

"Okumura-kun, you should get back to Cram School," Mephisto said." I'll call the head of Demonic Mating and Pregnancy and see if there are any new demons that have been added."

With a nod, the eldest twin left the headmaster alone. Mephisto brought out his pink cellphone and dialled the direct line for the demon in charge of the Demonic Mating and Pregnancy.

"Doctor Koyobashi here," a male voice answered after the third ring. It was soft and sweet like honey, a voice that had many gush over. But to the headmaster, it was the worst voice he'd ever heard.

"Daichi, I need to know if any more demons have been added to the mate-less profile," Sir Pheles said.

"Mephisto! You call me and I don't get a 'hi', 'bye', or even 'go to hell'?" Dr. Daichi Koyobashi chuckled.

"Go to hell," Mephisto snarled. "Now, are there new demons or not?"

"So feisty," the doctor teased. "But no. New demons joining us exorcists are rare."

"Call me when a new ones joins" Mephisto ordered snappily before hanging up.

The demon put his phone on his desk just as Amaimon in his hamster form walked up to him. Amaimon originally inhabited a 5ft 7, teenage boy's body, but after a fight with their little brother Rin, he was forced into a body of a hamster to recharge.

"What's wrong Anuie?" the green hamster asked.

"Finding a mate for our little brother is troublesome," Mephisto admitted as he rubbed his eyes.

"Why don't you call her?" Amaimon asked.

Mephisto looked down to Amaimon with one of his green eyes in alarm. "You can't be serious."

Amaimon shrugged, which looked kind of cute in the chubby, hamster form. "Why not? Didn't she help us find mates?"

Mephisto thought for a moment before he agreed. "Fine. She just might help us."

Mephisto brought out a key with a rainbow design on it, put it in his third drawer in his desk and turned it. A satisfying click was heard and Mephisto pulled the drawer open. It was empty inside except for a single golden denarii – an ancient Greek coin. Mephisto grabbed the denrii and opened the window, letting the rain from outside create a rainbow in the light of his desk lamp.

"Oh Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, please except my offering," Mephisto said as he tossed the denrii into the rainbow. The coin disappeared and he knew that Iris had accepted the offering.

"Show me Aiko," the demon demanded.

The rainbow shivered for a moment before a woman's face appeared. Every time Mephisto saw her face, his heart skipped a beat.

"Loki, it's been a while," the blonde haired and green eyed woman said in slight amusement.

"I no longer go by that name," Mephisto replied. As he did so, the woman's appearance changed so that she now had curly black hair and honey-brown eyes. "I'm now Mephisto Pheles."

Aiko chuckled and she gave off a sweet smile. "So Mr. Pheles after all these years, why are you IMing me now?"

"I need that favor you owe me," Mephisto said. He then narrowed his eyes as he scrutinised her. "Damn it woman, choose a form and stick to it! You're giving me a migraine."

Aiko, who now has straight black hair and mocha-brown eyes smiled but did stop her transformations. "What do you need me to do?"

"I have a new little brother, and he's half-demon," Mephisto explained. "He's getting close to his mating season and I need to find a demon that can't be burned easily."

Akio seemed to think for a moment and then she smiled as she clapped her delicate hands together. "I have the perfect person in mind. He can't get burned at all," she said. "Buuuuuuuut..."

"What's the catch?" Mephisto sighed, rubbing his temples.

"He's not a demon," Aiko admitted. "True, he's my lover's son, so he's only half-human, but he doesn't have a demonic drop of blood in him."

Mephisto thought this over for a moment. "He can't get burned? At all?"

"Nope," Aiko shook her head. "He can control fire, a gift his Father gave him at birth. Most likely he'll not get burned by your Father's blue flames."

"Where can I find him?" Mephisto asked.

Aiko smiled. "I'll send you to his home" she answered.

The woman then waved her hand over the image in the rainbow and Amaimon squeaked in alarm when his brother disappeared from his seat.

* * *

"Will you go out with me?" Leo Valdez asked the daughter of Apollo.

Her sky blue eyes widened in surprise. Her siblings snickered and when she glared at them, the Latino knew this would go bad.

"I'm sorry, Valdez, but you're not my type," the girl replied with a small smile of apology, curling a lock of blond hair round her finger nervously.

Leo mentally flinched, feeling the sting of rejection, but he forced a smile. "It's cool," he said. "I'm sorry to trouble ya."

The girl just shrugged and went back with her siblings to the basketball court where they continued to play. The demigod Latino turned aside and put his hands into his black, baggy pants. He knew he should have asked Piper for some dating advice, but he'd been determined to do it alone. He thought he could finally get a girlfriend and no longer be the seventh wheel, the one reject without a partner.

He immediately headed to Bunker Nine, but stopped in his tracks when he remembered that his siblings would be there awaiting the news. Nyssa had told everyone that he had a little crush on another demigod and everyone had pressurised him into to asking her out. They probably expected him to come in with his arm around his newly acquired, pretty girlfriend. But since his mission had failed, he didn't want to face his siblings. So instead he made a little detour and went into the woods.

He walked past a slightly charred tree and he smiled sadly as memories came flooding back. It was the spot where he had met Festus for the first time. The naiad of said charred tree seemed to recognize him and she glared at him until he was well out of her sight. Even though it shouldn't have, that raised his spirit just a little bit.

He didn't pay attention to where he headed, and somehow he ended up in front of Zeus's fist, or what's left of it. The last time he was here, he was tracking down Buford and he'd got chased by the wine god's followers. He shivered at that bad memory, but he didn't turn around. Perhaps coming here was a good place to clear his head. It was a cursed place, after all, and the way things were going lately, he seemed cursed to never find a girlfriend.

"Hello little boy," said a strangely-accented voice from behind him.

Leo jumped in fright and turned around to see a weird looking man that he'd never seen before. After staring at the man for a few seconds, he tilted his head to one side in confusion. Is the circus in town or something? he thought.

The man was about six foot four, towering over Leo even from a few yards away. His eyes were forest green and his hair was purple. He wore a white top hat and he had a flowing white cape trailing behind him, as well as a white suit with baggy pants. His skin was ashen and his ears were pointed like an elf's. He had purple gloves and a polka-dotted acute around his neck, and his pink leggings were stripy and his shoes were dark red. When the man smiled at him, Leo could see the fangs protruding from his gums.

"I'm going to guess that you are Leo Valdez," the man said as he observed him. "You do fit the description. About fifteen, a midget, looks like a Santa elf."

Leo snarled, offended at the description – clearly this stranger didn't realise how handsome he was. "Who are you, and how do you know who I am?" he demanded.

The man swept his arm down as he bowed and smiled. "I am Mephisto Pheles, and I have come from Japan for you."

"Japan?" Leo echoed, even more confused. He was Latino American and had Greek roots, but he had nothing to do with Japan.

"Correct," the man called Mephisto Pheles said. "And from I hear, you're having trouble finding a mate."

"I'm not looking for a mate," Leo snapped, feeling heat rise to his cheeks in embarrassment.

"Perhaps that is the wrong word," Mephisto mused for a moment. "Rather, I meant that you are having trouble finding a girlfriend?"

That hit the mark and Mephisto knew it. Leo fidgeted for a moment, pulling wire from his magic tool belt and fiddling with it a while before Mephisto continued. "One of your gods has sent me to you. You see, I have a younger sibling in need of your, ah, assistance, and your goddess says speaks highly of you."

"Let me guess, Lady Aphrodite sent you," Leo sighed wearily.

At this Mephisto shrugged. "I do not know of her real name, and I couldn't care less. She owes me a large favour, and she had chosen you to be my sibling's mate."

Leo spluttered in alarm and his eyes widened at what the clown man said. He didn't care who this goddess was? Did he want to get struck down by her vengeful wrath? What's more, Aphrodite had arranged a hot date for him with this weird guy's younger sibling?

"Let me get this straight," Leo said, twirling his piece of wire in his hands. "So if I go with you, I can get to date your younger sibling?" He grimaced as he pictured a female version of the Mephisto. "What if I don't like her?"

"If you don't like Rin, then I'll help you find a new… girlfriend," Mephisto said. Leo raised an eyebrow on the hesitation on the world girlfriend. "But you have to stick by Rin's side for two months before you decide to go out officially and all that."

Leo thought about this for a moment and paced up and down. This guy was offering him a relationship specifically set up by the goddess of love herself. It was Mephisto's sister, true, but a girl nonetheless. He smirked to himself. Am I so desperate for a girlfriend that I'll make deals with shady-looking weirdos? Eventually, he nodded. "Deal."

Mephisto smiled broadly at this and walked up to him. He grabbed his shoulder and said, "Now, let's see if your goddess will keep her end of the bargain and send us to my home."

A sudden golden light covered them both and Leo felt slightly queasy. He shut his eyes and when he opened them, he looked at his surroundings in awe.

"We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto," the Latino gasped.

He was no longer in the forest of Camp Half-Blood but in a room that looked like it belonged to a child. It was filled with all kinds of dolls-sorry- action figures, stuffed animals and body pillows with cutesy anime girls on it. In the middle of the room was the biggest bed the demigod had ever seen with a canopy over the top. Facing the bed was a plasma TV that almost took the whole wall, and that was saying a lot considering that the room was as large as the entire Big House.

"Welcome to my house, young Valdez-kun," Mephisto said. His words sounded odd to his ears, but Leo couldn't figure out why.

"What is this room?" Leo asked. He then slapped a hand over his mouth in surprise. He'd spoken in a different language, the same as Mephisto was using.

"This is my bedroom," the man answered. "And you're speaking Japanese, young boy."

"But I don't know Japanese," Leo protested.

"And that is why your goddess and I have placed an enchantment on you. As long as you're on academy grounds or with one of my students, you'll be able to speak Japanese."

"Cool" Leo replied a little uncertainly.

The door from behind Leo opened with a great thud and the Latino turned to see another teenage boy there. He had short green hair that was styled into a spike and he was in clothing that could be described as punk.

"Anuie, who is this boy, and where did he come from?" the teenager asked, pointing a clawed finger at Leo.

Mephisto sighed deeply and faced the teenager. "Amaimon, I have asked you time and time again not to just barge into my room. Knock first, little brother!"

"Woah! Little brother?" Leo asked he looked between them two. The only similarity between them was that they were both dressed like freaks.

Mephisto nodded. "This is one of my brothers Amaimon." He then turned and answered his brother's questions. "This boy here is Leo Valdez, Rin's potential mate. Now, watch over him while I go get Rin from Cram school."

"Yes Anuie," Amaimon nodded as Mephisto walked out of them room.

Amaimon reached into his pocket and grabbed a lollipop when Mephisto turned at the last second and gave him a welcoming smile.

"Welcome to True Cross Academy, Valdez-kun" he said


	2. Author's Note (I'm Sorry!)

Hello my readers. I know most of you would expect an update and hopefully be where NyxGirls left off and where I would pick up on. I did say that I will be updating every Monday and Thursday but that was before I got a job opportunity and so I had to move. I am ashamed to say I still haven't unpacked everything and that includes the box with the flash drive which holds my edited versions of _Fires Intertwined._ I am going to continue to look for it and once I find it, I will post the next chapter up. I am so sorry that I haven't kept my promise. I hope none of you are too mad at me.

~Sick Puppies


	3. Chapter 2: The Perfect Mate?

Chapter 2- The Perfect Mate?

When Mephisto reached his office, he called Yukio Okumura and told him to send his elder brother over to him ASAP. As soon as the headmaster closed his phone, a feeling of slight worry creased his brow. After he'd returned from Camp Half-Blood, Aiko admitted that Leo wasn't interested in men – if only she'd told him that before he'd essentially kidnapped the child. She had promised to help him push the young Latino boy in the direction needed, so he had no choice but to trust her.

When Rin pushed open the door to the office, he looked confused and irritated.

"What do you want, you damn clown?" he demanded.

Mephisto sighed. He was a skilled exorcist, the Headmaster of a prestigious school, and one of the eight Demon Kings (not that he'd told anyone that bit of information) and yet, this Halfling continued to treat him with disrespect.

"Rin, you and I both know that your mating season will hit in about three months' time," Mephisto informed the boy. Rin fidgeted anxiously at this, still clearly not comfortable with the idea. "So, to make things easier for you, I have pulled all the strings that I can and I've finally found you a suitable mate."

Rin blinked a bit at this, startled. "But, we only started to look a few hours ago. How could you have found the perfect girl so soon?"

Mephisto smiled drily at this. "Well, Valdez-san isn't the perfect by any means, but this was the best I can do," he said purposely tip-toeing around Leo's gender. "Valdez-san isn't a high class demon, or even has a demonic heritage. But Valdez-san is fire proof."

Rin raised an eyebrow at the last information. "If Valdez-chan isn't a demon, then how is she inflammable? Isn't she a human then?"

The headmaster shook his head at this. "Valdez-san is like you, half human but half… something else," he explained with a dismissive wave of his hand. "That doesn't matter though. All that matters is that we found you a mate."

"What if I don't like her?" Rin scowled, folding his arms. "What if she doesn't like me? And if she's not half-demon, then what the heck is she?" He huffed, putting on a façade of anger, but his eyes were stressed and nervous. "This idea sounds crazy I never asked for this."

Mephisto waggled his finger at Rin. "If Valdez-san feels like telling you what the other half is, then Valdez-san will," he said. "As for your other question, we have come to an agreement. You will date Valdez-san for two months and if Valdez-san doesn't like you, then Valdez-san has permission leave. You just have to "hang out," as you kids call it, with Valdez-san for two months. If you two don't like each other, I'll help you find a different mate."

Rin pondered this, scratching his jawline whilst deep in thought. Finally, he nodded. "All right, when do I meet her?" he asked.

Mephisto pointed to one of his chairs as he stood up. "Valdez-san is here in this building right now. You just wait right here while I go retrieve your mate."

Mephisto left his office, walked down the hall and went back into his bedroom. When he opened the door, his eyes popped out of his head.

"What are you two doing?!" Mephisto demanded as he saw Leo pinned face-down on the floor, Amaimon sitting on his back and pulling the boy's arms behind him at a painful angle.

"Nothing, we're just playing a game," Amaimon answered in his usual monotone.

The Latino cursed both in Ancient Greek and Spanish, wincing in pain. "I agreed to play a game with you, but I didn't agree for you to kill me!" he yelled.

"Amaimon, get off of him right now!" Mephisto commanded as he shooed the younger demon off.

Leo sat up and crossed his legs as rubbed his aching shoulders, glaring at Amaimon. Clearly his and Amaimon's idea of fun seemed to be on a way different wavelength.

"Rin wants to meet you but I need to set down a few rules first," Mephisto said. He then held up his index finger. "First: you're not allowed to tell Rin that we are siblings. We may share the same father, but if Rin found that out, our relationship will go downhill." Leo nodded at this while the headmaster held up a second finger. "Two: you must honor our deal and stay by Rin's side for two months, no matter what, or I won't help you find a girlfriend if you don't like Rin."

"Anuie, if Leo doesn't like Rin, can I kill-" Amaimon started.

"No," Mephisto snapped before the Earth King could finish. He then held up his third finger. "Three: whilst you're staying here, you'll be signed up to go to school at True Cross Academy as a transfer student from America." Leo groaned at that but he agreed anyway. Mephisto held up his fourth finger and continued. "And lastly, if you agree to be Rin's mate, you have to join Cram school to be an exorcist. Is this a deal Leo Valdez?"

"I don't really have much choice in this, do I?" Leo sighed.

Mephisto examined the teen's troubled expression for a moment, and then grinned when he guessed what was on his mind. "You feel bad at leaving your Camp behind?"

Leo hesitated, then nodded. "I have friends there," he said quietly. "I can't just leave them for two months without telling them. They might be looking for me now, thinking some monsters have eaten me or something."

Mephisto sighed. "I'm sure we can arrange some form of contact between you and your friends whilst you're here. And I have already informed your Camp leader – Chiron, yes? – of the reasons for your absence."

Leo exhaled deeply, then jumped to his feet. "Alright, let's do this thing. Let's go meet the future Mrs. Valdez." He grinned, seeming to be a little more excited than before.

"You swear to fulfil these terms?" Mephisto asked.

"Yeah, yeah, on the River Styx or whatever" Leo said distractedly.

Mephitso gave a broad grin. "Good, now follow me."

Leo followed him out of his bedroom and to his office. Leo paused in the doorframe, the confusion he felt mirrored on the face of Rin who stood a few feet away.

"Sir Pheles, who's this?" Rin asked, being polite for once.

Mephisto placed a firm hand on Leo's shoulder and smiled. "Rin, this is Leo Valdez, your perfect mate." He then looked to Leo and said, "Leo, this is Rin Okumura, your "girlfriend" for the next two months."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Well, I finished unpacking, got my schedule down for my job, and my cat is finally leaving my new kitten be. So I now have time to work on these stories. I will be posting once twice a week on Friday's and Tuesday hopefully. If I miss a day, Saturday night has been set as my make up day. Thank you for waiting for me


	4. Chapter 3: I ain't gay!

Chapter 3- I'm not gay!

"What?" Leo said blankly, unable to process what he was hearing.

Mephisto smile grew wider, clearly enjoying himself. "I said that you and Rin will become each other's mates."

"There's no way in hell I'm going to be dating that guy!" Rin yelled angrily as pointed at Leo.

"I agree with him, I'm not gay!" Leo shouted, wrenching himself from Mephisto's grip. He then paused, realizing that Rin had called him "that guy". "Hey! I'm not that bad!"

Mephisto's smiled turned into an almost manic leer, scaring both Rin and Leo. The demon headmaster sat at his desk and said, "Ah, but you both agreed to a trial run." He looked to Leo and continued. "The conditions and the oaths you swore were binding. What's more, Valdez-san, I have permission from your goddess to keep you here forever if you back down on your promise."

Rin and Leo both glanced at each other, wearing looks of horror, then turned to face Mephisto. "No way!" they protested in unison. They both blinked when they realized what they'd done, quickly facing away from each other.

Rin shook his head fiercely. "I am not doing this!"

"Oh Rin," Mephisto purred. "If you don't keep your word, I can always tell the Vatican that you refuse to complete your given assignment, meaning that you'll get little in the way of a trial before being executed."

Rin snapped his head back and looked to Mephisto. "You wouldn't dare," he growled.

"Oh, but my dear student, I do dare," Mephisto said, laughing as he leaned back in his chair. "This is an official assignment from True Cross that you must finish – unless you wish to be branded a traitor."

Leo's frowned in bewilderment. Was Rin a criminal or something? Great, Aphrodite hooked him me up with an absolutely marvelous date! he thought sarcastically.

"Fine!" Rin snapped, his voice quavering a little.

"Perfect! Now if you two will come over to my desk with your left hands out, I have something for you."

Reluctantly, both Leo and Rin walked to the demon's desk and held out their left hand. When Mephisto touched their hands three times with a count down from three in German, a ring materialized on their left ring fingers.

The teens looked confused as they held their hands out to study the different rings. Leo's was a silver band with blue etchings that seemed to constantly change shape. In the middle was a small, curricular blue orb that flickered like a fire.

Rin's was a bronze colored band with fierce gold etchings that also flickered and shifted. In the middle of his band was the same fiery orb but it was red instead.

"What is this?" Leo asked first.

"Those are the Promise Rings, something your goddess gave me," Mephisto explained. "The rings show that you have something in common; the very reason I brought Valdez-kun here in the first place."

"And what's that?" Rin asked.

Mephiso smiled as he placed a finger in front of his lips. "I can't say. You two will have to figure that out yourself. Now, the rings have some powers too. If you two aren't keeping your promise and refuse to bond, the gems will break and I will be informed. The rings also will shock you if you try to even flirt to someone other than each other."

"What?!" the boys complained. Rin instantly grabbed onto his ring and tried to rip it off, but he suddenly jolted as if he'd been struck by lightning. He yelped pain as his hair stuck up from the shock.

"And as you can see from Rin's demonstration, this is the kind of shock you will receive," Sir Pheles chuckled.

Leo grimaced worriedly as he looked down at his ring. What was Lady Aphrodite thinking? Clearly she derived some sort of sick pleasure from forcing two straight guys into a relationship.

"Now, Rin, Cram school should be over by now, so please show Leo to your dorms. After you choose a room, young Valdez, I'll send you some clothes that will fit someone of your, er, stature" the demon said. "You two are dismissed."

Rin growled slightly and stalked out of the office in a hurry. Not knowing what else to do, Leo followed the angry teen down the hallway. They walked in silence for a good ten minutes before Leo had to break the maddening silence.

"Sooooo, what's in that red bag over your shoulder?" Leo asked.

Rin glanced behind at Leo and then sighed. "A sword," Rin answered.

"Cool," Leo answered. He struggled to find something else to talk about, but they were finally at the dorm. Leo raised an eyebrow as he examined it – it looked like it belonged into a horror movie. Leo blinked when Rin walked up right to the door and opened it.

"You live in this place?!" Leo asked in shock.

Rin blinked a couple of times but then nodded. "Yeah, my brother and I do."

"You have a brother?" Leo asked as he followed inside.

"Yeah, his name is Yukio. He's my twin," Rin admitted.

"That's so cool!" Leo said, excitement growing. "Do you two have, like, twin powers or something? Can you read each other's minds? Oh, oh! Do you guys trick your teachers by sitting next to each other in classes and say "I'm not Rin, he is," and then he'll say "No, no, he's Rin"?"

Before Rin could answer the Latino, a voice called out. "Ni-san? What did Sir Pheles say? And who's that with you?"

Out from the kitchen area, a teen about Rin and Leo's age walked out. He had pale skin blemished by three distinct moles, two under his left eye and one on the right side of his lips. He had mousy brown hair and wore black rectangle glasses that hid its sea-green eyes. He was taller than Rin and wore a similar uniform to him.

Leo gasped and pointed at Yukio. "I thought you said you were twins?!"

"We are, but we're fraternal twins," Yukio answered hesitantly, a little startled by Leo's outburst.

"Huh, so non-identical. Then, are you the elder brother?" Leo asked.

Yukio shook his head. "No, I'm the younger one. Why do you ask?"

"Because you're taller than him," the Latino said, scratching his head.

Rin scowled. "So?" he said. "Anyway, you're the same age as me, but you're way shorter than I am."

Leo blinked in alarm. Next to the two brothers, he was certainly lacking in height. Well, I make up for it in good looks Leo concluded.

"Anyway, who is this?" Yukio asked his brother, nodding at Leo.

Leo looked confused while Rin sighed, the sound almost like a growl. "Yukio, this is Leo Valdez, my 'perfect mate'," Rin said sullenly.

"What?" Yukio said, stunned. "But, you're a guy, aren't you?"

"What do you mean, "aren't you?"" Leo snarled. "Can't you tell I'm a dude, four-eyes?"

"What is Sir Pheles up to?" Yukio asked Rin, a mix of confusion and anger in his voice.

Rin shrugged and sighed. "No idea. That clowny freak has finally lost it."

Yukio readjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. "There must be a mistake of some kind," he murmured to himself.

"You got that right" Rin muttered, Leo nodding in agreement,

"Well, if you're supposed to be Ni-san's… mate, then what demon are you?" Yukio enquired.

Leo blinked a couple of time. "Demon?" he asked. He frowned, not quite sure whether to be offended. The only diablo he knew of were some of the eviler monsters he encountered, and he certainly wasn't one of them.

"The clown said that he's not a demon," Rin explained.

Yukio looked slightly surprised, then sighed wearily. "I'll have to talk to Sir Pheles in the morning about this. I don't know why he chose a guy for Rin…" He trailed off, shaking his head.

Rin coughed awkwardly, keen to change the topic. "You must be hungry, let's go see what I can cook up for you." He hurried into the kitchen before Leo could answer.

A few hours later, and after Yukio was kind enough to show Leo around, dinner was served. Leo sat down across from Rin and Yukio and looked at the food warily.

"What's wrong?" Rin asked after he noticed the Leo was having trouble using his chop sticks.

"I've never eaten Chinese food with chop sticks before," the Latino admitted.

"It's not Chinese, it's Japanese," Yukio corrected. He looked to the kitchen and thought for a minute. "I think we might have some forks."

When Yukio left, Leo sighed and reached into his tool belt and began to work on his newest invention.

"What are you making?" Rin asked, peering at him curiously.

Leo looked at the bundle of wires in the Celestial Bronze and Imperial Gold box. "I don't know, at least not yet" he answered with a shrug just as Yukio came back with a fork.

"Thanks," he said as he put the box of wires down onto the table and took an experimental bite out of the food. "Di immortals! Esto es muy bueno!" the Latino said in awe.

"What?" Rin said, exchanging confused looks with Yukio.

Leo realized that he switched to Spanish and so he translated it into Japanese. "This food is great!" he said with a grin.

"What language were you speaking?" Yukio asked.

"Greek and Spanish," Leo answered. "I grew up speaking Spanish and English. Since I have some Greek in me, I learned it too. The clown-looking man though did an enchantment so I can speak fluent Japanese now. Sugoi, ne?" he said with a smirk.

"Pretty cool," Rin said with a smile. "Hey, say something else in Spanish!"

"Otra cosa," Leo said with a smile.

"So cool," Rin beamed. "What did you say?"

"What you told me to," Leo chuckled.

Rin didn't seem to get it, his face scrunching up as he tried to figure it out.

Yukio sighed and said, "He said "something else" in Spanish Nii-san."

"I knew that," the elder twin proclaimed, and began to dig back into his food.

Leo laughed at that and the rest of the night was just like that.


	5. Chapter 4: First Day of School

Chapter 4- First Day of School

Leo sighed as he lay on his bed in his room. After talking about it, it was decided that Leo should take a room not too far away from Rin and Yukio's. So Leo searched all the rooms and decided on room number 320 which was five doors down and on the left from the twins. It was about the same size of theirs and there was another bed for the non-existent roommate.

"It almost feels like I'm back in the system," Leo mumbled to himself. "But hey, room to myself – that's a plus right?"

His rhetorical question hung in the silent air. He sighed once more, missing hearing his siblings sleep. He even missed Jake's loud snores that had kept him up for the first two weeks at Camp. With nothing else to do and unable to sleep, Leo got out of his bed and went to the closet full of clothes that the headmaster gave him. He looked at them with slight disgust. He was given five pairs of shirts and six pairs of pants along with three school uniforms. He was given three sets of pajamas, one of which he was wearing now and the other two in a drawer under his bed.

Leo grabbed the blue Fantastic Four t-shirt and the black cargo pants from his wardrobe and changed into them. Slipping his magic tool belt and socks on, Leo tip toed out his room. When he got close to the Okumura brothers' room, he listened closely and heard someone snoring lightly. Taking it as a good sign, he went to the bath house and snuck in.

The light had been left on and he got a good look of the locker area. It kind of reminded him of the locker room back at the Wilderness School for the gym, but the lockers there didn't actually work and were made of metal instead of wood. Leo quickly went the bathing area with a denarii in his hand, intending to send an Iris message.

He froze when he heard a splash, turning to see Rin getting out of the bath.

The two teens stared at each other for a long moment, not moving, before Rin quickly jumped back into the bath to protect his decency.

"What the hell?!" Rin yelled.

"I'm sorry!" Leo called as he covers his eyes, as if that would help to erase what he'd just seen. "I thought no one was in here!"

"Why did you even come here? It's almost two in the morning!" Rin asked as he blushed. He was glad that his flames only shot up when he either unsheathed his sword or when he was mad.

"I ... uh..." Leo started as he put the gold coin back into his tool belt. "Came to take a bath?"

"Then why are your clothes still on, then?" the demon asked.

"Why are you here?" Leo said, changing the subject.

"I couldn't sleep, so I always take warm baths." Rin answered. "I had to study anyway. Can you leave so I can get out?"

"Y-yeah I guess. I'll see you tomorrow," Leo said quickly and ran out. He decided to try and call Camp tomorrow

"Leo, time to wake up," a male voice said.

Leo groaned as he rolled over to block out the voice. "Go away, I didn't hear the breakfast horn go off," he complained.

"Leo, you have to wake up or you'll be late for school," the voice pressed.

"School?" Leo asked as he opened his eyes. He saw Yukio leaning over him, already wearing his school uniform.

"Yes, Sir Pheles did say that you have to attend True Cross Academy while staying you're staying here, remember?" the younger twin asked.

Leo groaned again as he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He was wearing his pajamas once more, changing back into them after that incident with Rin. He shook his head, trying to dispel the memory.

"Can I not go? I haven't been to school for a year," the Latino complained.

"No, you have to go." Yukio said and shook his head. "You haven't been to school for that long?"

"It wasn't required," Leo answered as he got out of his bed. He neatly made it, out of habit, really. "I was a year round camper, so I didn't have to go."

"Well, hurry up and get in your uniform," Yukio said. "Breakfast will be in fifteen minutes."

"Got it," Leo sighed as the twin left.

The teen walked to the closet and grabbed one of the uniforms. "I just know I am going to hate you, four-eyes," the boy mumbled to himself as he took his pajamas off.

He was able to get his uniform on without any problem until he got to the tie. After failing four times in a row, he just threw it on his bed and grabbed his tooth brush and tooth paste the headmaster gave him. When he just started to brush his teeth in the bathroom area, a very sleepy Rin shuffled next to him with also with a toothbrush in hand.

"Mañana," Leo greeted.

"What?" Rin asked as he put the tooth paste on his brush.

"Morning," Leo translated with a slight sigh. At least at the Camp, there were some campers that knew Spanish, but he doubted anyone spoke it.

"Ah, morning," Rin greeted as he started to brush his teeth.

They brushed their teeth in silence. When Leo was done and about to leave, Rin asked, "Where's your tie?"

"I don't know how to tie one," the Latino answered truthfully. "I only wore one once and it was a clip-on."

"Go get it and I'll teach you how to tie it," Rin said.

Leo didn't really want to wear a tie; from what he heard from the other campers who wore one, they were suffocating at times. But this was Leo's first day of school, and even though he'd rather just crawl back in the bed and sleep the day away, he wanted to make a good first impression and hopefully be able to sit somewhere else other than the front row.

After placing his toothbrush back into the cup of oral health items, Leo grabbed his tie and made it out his door just as Rin was coming back out of his room.

"Here," Leo said as he tossed the necktie to the Japanese boy.

Rin snatched the tie out of the air and he waved Leo close to him and ordered, "Push up those collar flaps."

Leo did as he was told and Rin put the tie around him. As he began to tie the necktie, he asked, "How come you haven't worn a real tie before?"

"Because I don't like them," Leo lied. "A clip on was easier at the time."

"All right," Rin said, taking the lie.

As he was tying it, Leo asked "Who taught you to do this?"

Rin paused, then glanced towards the floor. "My Dad" he answered quietly. Leo remained silent, taking Rin's response as a sign to not ask any further about the matter.

Once finished, he let go. "Do you think you'll remember that?"

"No," Leo answered truthfully with a slight laugh. His mind was somewhere else during the time that Rin was doing his tie. Hey, he was ADHD, so he couldn't pay attention even if he wanted to.

"I'll tie your tie a few more times then," the older teen sighed and then flicked Leo's forehead. "But next time, pay attention. I won't be doing this for you always."

Leo rubbed his abused forehead with one hand and sighed. "All right, all right. I'll worry about that later. Right now, I really want some breakfast," he said.

Rin nodded in agreement and they headed down the stairs and to the dining area. Yukio was already there, eating some rice from his breakfast tray.

"Took you two long enough. You guys only have ten minutes to eat before we have to leave,"

They nodded and went to grab their breakfast. As they sat down, Yukio handed Leo a piece of paper.

"That's your class schedule," the glasses-wearing teen informed when he saw Leo's confused face. "I had to leave early this morning and Sir Pheles told me to give it to you."

"What lessons you have?" Rin asked.

"Umm," Leo said, peering at the words as he struggled to read it. Although he could figure out some of what was written, it didn't matter if it was in Japanese or English, his Dyslexia wouldn't allow him to read. "I have...Japanese History first."

"Wow, that took you a while. Can you read the Kanji?" Rin asked.

"I can…kind of," Leo answered with a helpless shrug. "I have ADHD and dyslexia."

"Here, I'll read it for you," Rin offered. When he handed Rin the schedule, he quickly read it and pulled a face. "That damn clown."

"What?" Yukio asked.

"We have the exact same classes," Rin informed them. He handed the paper back to Leo and said, "I'll take you there."

"Thank you," Leo sighed.

When they were done eating, Rin grabbed three lunches and handed one to Yukio and then Leo. "School lunch is expensive here," he informed the newbie. "I make lunch for all three of us. After school, we'll talk to the clown about getting you some money for some items."

"Cool, thanks again," Leo said as he put the lunch box into the messenger bag that Mephisto gave him.

"Hurry up, you two," Yukio called as he was at the door.

"Coming," the two fire users called in unison.

Leo first impression of the school was "Is this a school or a freaking mall?!" It was huge enough to be one, and it even had escalators and elevators to boot. The classrooms had high-tech supplies and were big enough to fit all of his siblings in there and have plenty of elbow room left over.

His awe of the school quickly disappeared when all of his teachers forced him to stand in front of the class and tell them his name, one "interesting" thing about himself and why he liked Japan. Not to mention to write his name on the board. Leo didn't know how to spell his name in Kanji but thankfully he could spell it in English. For his first class, he made a fool of himself by saying: "Hello, my name is Leo Valdez. What I like about Japan is their fortune cookies."

One of his classmates had to point out that the Americans made the fortune cookies and were meant to be Chinese, not Japanese. Leo replied, "Opps. Well, I guess I'm not that much of an American for not knowing that."

Eight long and painful hours of school later, Leo and the Okumura twins were heading to the headmaster's office.

"Can I skip the next five days?" Leo moaned as he followed the twins.

"No, and we have school on Saturday mornings too," Yukio told him just as the sectary said that they could go into Mephisto's office.

"What?! You can't take away my Saturdays too!" Leo complained as they stepped into the office of the Headmaster.

"Ah Leo, how did you find your first day of school?" Mephisto asked as he looked up from his computer.

"Horrible," Leo sighed as he slumped into a chair close to the desk. "Can I just, ya know, not go?"

"Nope," Mephisto smiled. "This is a perfect way for you and Rin to get to know each other more. Now, why are you here?"

"We came to see if Leo will be getting an allowance like Nii-san," Yukio informed him.

"Yes, I just received young Valdez's credit card just a few hours ago," Mephisto said as he reached into one of his drawers and showed off the blue plastic card.

"Wait, you're not paying for him?" Rin asked.

"Nope," Mephisto said with a smile. "After a long talk with Valdez-kun's step mother, it was decided that she and his father will be paying for his tuition for True Cross Academy and they'll be giving him a living allowance."

"How much is on here?" Leo asked.

"Let's find out," Mephisto said with a smile. "I should be able to look up how much you have left."

It took the demon a few moments to pull up the credit card amount but when he did, he smiled to them. "You started out with 2 million and five thousand yen, but I took two thousand yen to get the items you need. So your remaining balance is 2 million and three thousand yen," Mephisto informed.

"I take it that's a lot," Leo gulped as Rin and Yukio's eyes popped out of their head.

"That's about nineteen thousand and five hundred American dollars!" Yukio exclaimed.

"Holy shit, your family is rich!" Rin gasped as Leo sunk down further into his chair.

"Just my Dad's side of the family," Leo groaned, waving his hand. "Why is she even giving me that much? I thought she didn't like Dad's kids."

"Well, since your and Rin's relationship would be her best couple this year, she wants you to have a comfortable stay here," Mephisto said with a grin as he handed the credit card to him. "You'll be getting this monthly, so spend your money wisely."

"Like I can go through that much in one month!" Leo retorted as he took the credit card back.

"Now, I have some paperwork to finish so if you three will leave," the headmaster said dismissively as he went back to his computer.

When they left the office, Leo handed the card to Yukio. "Here, you can use it. I don't need that much money," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"I'll just take it for safe-keeping" Yukio said with a smile.

"Hey, Leo, why does that woman hate you so much, but still give you that much money?" Rin asked.

"I'm a product of an affair," Leo explained with a shrug. "Even though Aphrodite was forced to marry my dad, she still gets mad when he has kids with other women."

"Aphrodite?" Rin asked confusedly, tilting his head.

Leo froze. They'd think he was crazy if he said he was related to the Greek gods, so he paused while he formulated an answer without mentioning their true identities. He smirked while Yukio looked at him strangely. "Weird name, I know, but that's it. She married my dad a long time ago by my grandfather's decision, and they hate each other. She cheats on him with his brother, and so he has affairs with different women. Sometimes she has affairs with different men too. My best friend Piper is the result of one of those affairs."

"You have a strange family," Rin said, raising an eyebrow at him. "How about your real mom? Does she know about your dad being married?"

"Nii-san, you shouldn't bother him with all of these questions," Yukio said calmly.

"It's OK," Leo said with a forced smile to Yukio. "We're supposed to learn about each other." Leo then looked to Rin and shrugged. "I'm pretty sure my mom knew, but …she's dead now so it doesn't matter."

Both twin's eye slightly widened with shock and slight sorrow. Leo, wanting to break the gloomy atmosphere, gently pushed them both and started to run. "Last one home is a Fury's child," he challenged.

The twins looked to each other and then Rin ran after Leo with a, "Wait up!"

Yukio watched Leo run off, narrowing his eyes. What are you up to, Mephisto?


End file.
